Zeynep Değer

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Değer is an academic at Istanbul Technical University's Disaster Management Institute, Department of Earthquake Engineering, specializing in earthquake engineering, numerical modeling, and machine learning applications for structural analysis. Her career spans roles from Lecturer (2014-2017) to Associate Professor (2023-present), with administrative duties including Deputy Director of her Institute (2018-2019).

• PhD in Earthquake Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles (2008-2012)
• MSc in Civil Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles (2008-2009)
• BSc in Civil Engineering, Middle East Technical University (2003-2008)

Her research focuses on seismic performance assessment of reinforced concrete structures, failure mode prediction using machine learning, and deformation capacity estimation of non-ductile shear walls. Recent work explores generalized additive models as interpretable alternatives to black-box ML systems in structural analysis.

Key trends in her publications include: integration of machine learning with traditional structural engineering (2016-2025), focus on reinforced concrete shear walls across multiple decades, and applications in rapid post-earthquake damage assessment (2024). She has co-authored 23 research outputs, including 16 journal articles.

• Third Prize in Earthquake Resistant Building Design Competition (DASK, 2025)
• 12NCEE Travel Award (EERI, 2022)
• 11th National Conference Travel Award (EERI, 2018)
• Outstanding 2015 Journal Paper (LATBSDC, 2016)
• Best Presentation Award (Tokyo Tech, 2011)